Yaqrit Publishes Positive Microbiome Data for YAQ001 in Cirrhosis

LONDON, Oct. 22, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Yaqrit, a late clinical-stage company focused on developing innovative treatments for advanced liver diseases, has announced the publication of an exploratory microbiome analysis of its investigational microbiome treatment, YAQ001, in patients with cirrhosis. The findings, published in Liver International, build on data first presented at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) conference in 2025 and on safety and tolerability data reported in the journal Gut in 2024.

In a sub-study of the CARBALIVE-SAFETY trial (NCT03202498), 28 patients with cirrhosis were randomly assigned to receive either YAQ001 or a placebo once daily for 12 weeks. The results indicated that YAQ001 was associated with a higher abundance of microbes linked to improved gut health, and a lower abundance of species linked to infections and poor outcomes in liver disease. Overall microbial diversity remained unchanged. Genes encoding virulence factors and antibiotic resistance genes were also less abundant, and there were trends toward improvement in markers of gut permeability and systemic inflammation, most of which remained within normal ranges.

The study was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme (Grant Agreement 634579) and was led by researchers at UCL with collaborators across Europe. The findings are consistent with the company's hypothesis on YAQ001’s mechanism of action, which will be tested in larger studies.

YAQ001 is a novel, orally-administered, nanoporous carbon bead adsorbent that is restricted to the gut and not absorbed into the body. Its highly engineered carbon beads have a dual pore structure: the internal surface of large diameter pores (~50nm) has smaller diameter pores (~2nm) within them. This design provides an extensive surface area to adsorb both large protein molecules and smaller toxin and inflammatory molecules.

The company is currently evaluating YAQ001 in the CATCh proof-of-concept study in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Topline data from this trial are expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. This publication, together with the safety and tolerability data previously reported, supports Yaqrit's strategy of advancing YAQ001 in serious liver- and gut-related disorders. The company expects the results from the ongoing PSC and IBD study to support a CE Mark submission in 2027.

All development and commercialization rights to YAQ001 are owned by Enterosorb Limited, a subsidiary of Yaqrit.